Job Description:
Wine Industry management, hotel or restaurant management, brewery or cidery management required. The Tasting Room Manager reports to the President and General Manager and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the tasting room and guest experience at Breaux Vineyards as well as some aspects of the wine club. The Tasting Room Manager is a position for a highly energetic and enthusiastic person. In addition to the job description, this person must exude customer service with the ability and passion to create customers for life, as well as lead a team to attain retail goals and be cohesive. He/She is responsible for carrying out the company mission to establish guests for life by creating memorable experiences. This position is responsible for driving wine sales in the Tasting Room, merchandising for the retail shop, overseeing the Cellar Club staff in driving Club memberships through staff and customer education, managing the Tasting Room staff, conducting wine tastings and tours, and assisting with the shipping of wine that is purchased online and in the tasting room. We have a professional, fun, creative, and team oriented work place so if that sounds like a culture you can work in, this job may be for you!
Job Duties:
Operational & Supervisory Duties:
· Lead customer service and staff education
o Ensure all Tasting Room Associates communicate in a knowledgeable, professional and gracious manner that is accurate and consistent
o Ensure that all Tasting Room Associates project a customer service orientation
- Maintain a positive, team-oriented attitude
- Communicate and work with winemaker to ensure proper education and sales of new wine releases.
- Guide and train the Managers on Duty
- Assist with the recruiting applicants, interviewing, and hiring of Tasting Room Associates, as needed
- Oversee that paperwork is sent to new employees and received by Human Resources once new employee is hired
- Manage required training for Tasting Room Staff
- Ensure that all employees receive appropriate training prior to being responsible for pouring to the public
- Ensure that all Tasting Room employees are RSVP trained and that VA-ABC policies are observed and adhered to upon hiring and maintained thereafter
- With the assistance of the President, maintain the hospitality and wine training program to assure all Tasting Room Associates conduct themselves in a professional manner and extend every courtesy and service to visitors
- Supervise Tasting Room Staff, MOD team, and hospitality support team
- Ensure that the tasting room is adequately and efficiently staffed at all times by scheduling associates and MOD functions while accommodating hours of operation, special events, and staff requests for personal time off
- Serve as Manager on Duty per published schedule and ensures effective and efficient operations of the facility at all times, even when leaving others as MOD
- Assign duties and monitor quality of work
- Provide day-to-day guidance to subordinates & actively work to promote and recognize performance.
- Maintain ongoing information so that Associates are thoroughly versed in the wines of Breaux Vineyards, knowledge of other wines, regions, terms and pronunciations
- Manage timekeeping for all Tasting Room Employees
- Verify that hours are accounted for correctly for tasting room staff
- Manage the physical elements of the Tasting Room
- Ensure tasting room and inventory areas are clean, neat, and stocked at all times
- Ensure that displays of wine and non-wine products in the tasting room are attractive and well maintained.
- Maintain physical inventory of merchandise items in the tasting room and all front of house supplies
- Order supplies necessary for the tasting room operations (including bathroom and kitchen needs when necessary)
- Ensure staff conforms to organizational policies and procedures, dress code, and government regulations
- Promote the sale of wine and non-wine products sold in the tasting room and
- Ensure that Tasting Room Associates are trained to identify and pursue sales opportunities presented through contact with guests
- Proactively assist the President to manage department sales, expenditures and gross margin
- Prepare annual sales goals, budgets and tactics in alignment with the organizational strategy
- Possess a comprehensive understanding of the POS system
- Ensure that all Tasting Room Staff understand how to use the POS system to conduct business transactions
- Utilize POS system to transact sales and maintain tasting room inventory
- Maintain, evaluate and provide monthly and annual reports on traffic and sales numbers
- Assist in the maintenance of the departmental policies and procedures and effectively communicate changes to the Tasting Room Staff and ensure compliance
- Work with the Sales Team and Marketing Manager to develop and maintain point of sale materials specific to the guest experience (signage, wine lists, event promotion, etc.)
- Coordinate group tastings, manage reservation booking system in tandem with other management and follow through accordingly
- Keep up to date on overall activities of the department and division, identify problem areas and take corrective action
- Participate in the development of the strategic plan for the organization by participating in sales and event meetings
- Manage wine transfers
- Provide input to social media and website based on customer experiences and feedback
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications & Education:
· A Bachelor’s degree in hospitality or related field or more than two years of experience managing a Tasting Room or managing other Hospitality / F&B experience is required.
- Minimum of two years related retail, food and beverage industry or hospitality management and sales experience is required.
· Requires a high level of energy and enthusiasm
- Strong personal computer skills with various software packages including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and retail point-of-sale applications
- Must have strong verbal and written skills with the ability to speak in front of people
- Wine appreciation and basic wine knowledge is necessary for this position
- A passion for food and wine is mandatory
- Ability to establish priorities, work independently, and proceed with objectives without supervision
- Must maintain interpersonal awareness, relationship management and influencing skills
- Experience managing a department budget is important
- Experience managing a department of 25+ employees is important
- Must be proactive and have strong organizational skills including exceptional attention to detail and follow-through
- Must be able to maintain composure and address conflict in a professional, respectful, and fair manner
- Must have proven high-level guest service skills
- Willingness to work weekends and holidays is required, with the necessity to work more consistent weekends during the busy summer and fall months
- A valid driver’s license is required with clean DMV
- Must be able to lift 45 lbs consistently and must be able to stand and walk for long periods of time (8 + hours)
- Must be able to pass a background check with no criminal convictions due to the nature of the position
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $21.00 - $24.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Shift:
Experience:
- Hospitality management: 2 years (Required)
Work Location: In person